Dementia is characterized by the impairment of cognition and behavior of people over 65 years. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the world, as approximately 47 million people are affected by this disease and the tendency is that this number will increase to 62% by 2030. Two microscopic features assist in the characterization of the disease, the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary agglomerates. All these factors are responsible for the slow and gradual deterioration of memory that affect language, personality or cognitive control. For the AD diagnosis, neuropsychological tests are performed in different spheres of cognitive functions but since not all cognitive functions may be affected, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers are used along with these tests. To date, cholinesterase inhibitors are used as treatment, they are the only drugs that have shown significant improvements in the cognitive functions of AD patients. Despite the proven effectiveness of cholinesterase inhibitors, an AD carrier, even while being treated, is continually subjected to progressive degeneration of the neuronal tissue. For this reason, other biochemical pathways associated with the pathophysiology of AD have been explored as alternatives to the treatment of this condition such as inhibition of β-secretase and glycogen synthase kinase-3β. The present study aims to conduct a review of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, emphasizing the research and development of new therapeutic approaches.

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Kefiran is a polysaccharide present in kefir grains that have been widely explored due to its potential health benefits. The objective of this work was to characterize and quantify the components present in the ethanolic extract of milk kefir grains; to study its pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties in silico and evaluate the acute toxicity of the kefiran in zebrafish. The prediction of pharmacokinetic properties was performed by QikProp software. In silico toxicity assessment was performed using the DEREK (deductive estimate of risk from existing knowledge) software. In the chromatographic, kefiran was identified as the major component. Results showed that the kefiran had low human oral absorption and intestinal absorption its due poor solubility profile; low logP value, indicating its lipophilicity and the low MDCK and Caco-2 cells permability, and unable to cross the blood–brain barrier. Kefiran did not present any structural warning for in silico toxicity. In zebrafish, the dose of 2,000 mg/kg of kefiran produced nonsignificant alterations in the analyzed organs. It can be said then that kefiran has an acceptable degree of safety for use in the development of drugs or functional foods. Further research such as in vivo testing to confirm its pharmacological potential is currently underway.

Com elevada prevalência e baixas taxas de controle a Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS) é um dos principais fatores de risco modificáveis para doenças cardiovasculares e um dos mais importantes problemas de saúde pública. Questão norteadora: Qual a prevalência e os fatores associados de HAS na Comunidade Quilombola do Curiaú? Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi a análise epidemiológica da prevalência de HAS e fatores associados a ela na Comunidade Quilombola do Curiaú. Material e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo transversal, sendo realizado com 71 voluntários, com idade ≥ 18 anos e residentes na comunidade. Resultados: A média de idade dos voluntários foi de 49,01 anos, sendo 64,7% (n=46) do sexo feminino e 35,2 % (n=25) do sexo masculino. Observou-se que 32,8% (n=24) dos participantes eram hipertensos, sendo 33,4% (n=8) homens e 66,6% (n= 16) mulheres, entre estes 50% (n=12) estavam sob terapia com anti-hipertensivos. Dentre os participantes, constatou-se que 70,8% tinham histórico familiar de hipertensão, além disso, 33,8% dos voluntários apresentaram níveis pressóricos elevados. Conclusão: Foi observada elevada prevalência de HAS e níveis pressóricos elevados na comunidade quilombola do Curiaú, em destaque para os indivíduos do sexo feminino, pois foram os que mais apresentaram a doença. Também, foi detectado maior prevalência de HAS em pessoas com idade ≥ 60 anos. Desta forma, é necessário que haja maior atenção a política de saúde pública e a implementação de programas que foquem no tratamento medicamentoso deste quilombo.